


Anniversary Album

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [86]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-29
Updated: 2006-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-07 17:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1907877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An anniversary in Arcadia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anniversary Album

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol  
> Mali Wane for posting  
> My former betas: Alex and Ula

One year of marriage, Quinn marveled. The happiest of his life. A year that he hadn't quite believed could exist outside of dreams. But he had married Ian despite every obstacle society had put in their path. 

Here he was to prove it, sitting on the couch in their own home. The wedding certificate was tucked into their album, calligraphy joining their names as beautifully as the ceremony had before it. 

Quinn let the images wash over him. 

Jo's photos from their family engagement party: he and his lad unwrapping presents with the gleeful abandon of five-year-olds; Lelia holding out half a cookie to Ian; Keith toasting them with all the pride he used to hope for from his father; Monty and Kathy surrounding them with a hug. 

Monty's pictures from their bachelor party: prospective grooms smiling in front of the 'A New Hope' poster advertising the laser show; Ethan, Case, and Evan standing around them in the lobby of the Hayden Planetarium; tropical drinks raised to them in the low light of the Libra Lounge; the paper wedding bell cradled in a delighted Ian's hand. 

Kathy's snapshots from the run-through at the Mace Chapel: a flushed Ian beaming at him as they left Father Corgan's office; Keith and Monty standing shoulder to shoulder, the perfect groomsmen; Lelia playing with Ian's hair as he held her in his arms; Keith handing Jo a tissue for her brimming eyes. 

Keith's photographs from the rehearsal dinner at Mamma Depa's: his hand clasped over Ian's while they ate; Lelia trying to get a blue flower from the centerpiece, mouth and chin painted with marinara sauce; Jo cooing at Lelia as she tried to clean her up; Bant threading the blue flower into Lelia's hair near her right ear; Monty falling asleep in his chair; Kathy cradling her husband on her shoulder. 

Bant's pictures from the wedding ceremony: giddy grooms gazing at each other in awe when they reached the altar, his eyes crinkling from the sun slanting in through the mullioned windows; Father Corgan grinning at their sotto voce additions to their vows; Jo and Kathy, eyes shining from unshed tears; Monty and Keith standing ramrod straight, with big grins on their faces; Lelia ducking away from the flash, burrowing into her mother's shoulder. 

Aunt Jane's snaps from the wedding reception: Keith and Ian looking up in wonder at the painted starscape at Roma; Monty and Keith toasting the newlyweds; nibbling hors d'oeuvres with Ian at their little table in the antechamber, eyes only for each other; the family table, love and laughter bursting from the frame; Bant gazing wistfully at Lelia's bouquet; the newlyweds dancing to Moon River, eyes gleaming brighter than the polished dance floor; Lelia joining their dance, her head pillowed on his chest; Kathy and Jo doing the twist; his arm wrapped around Ian's at the table as they beamed into each other's eyes. 

A rich trove of images to treasure on their first anniversary. 

Quinn looked up from the album when he heard a yawn, and saw his sleepy Ian heading for the couch. 

"Happy Anniversary!" they said in unison, smiling at the synchronicity. 

Quinn tucked Ian under his arm, so they could go through the album together. Ian's comments ranged from humorous to serious, and brought a new perspective to the photographs. 

Ian chuckled at the engagement party pictures. "Y'know, Kathy told me the other day that Lelia still has the blue bow I gave her. Apparently, she put it on her doll's hair and left it there." 

Quinn smiled at him. "It's always the little things kids go for. Sometimes the wrapping paper's better than the present." 

Ian nodded. "My dad looks so proud of us. I couldn't have imagined that, back when I was a teenager." 

Quinn looked down at his ring. "I never expected a father's toast." His voice was rough, and Ian burrowed even closer to him. 

Ian knew there was nothing he could say to gloss over the Mastersons' prejudice, but his sweet embrace soothed Quinn nonetheless. He tried to lighten the mood with the next photo. "They almost had to let out my tux after the cookies Lelia kept feeding me." 

"At least you had a tailor on hand, m'boy," Quinn rumbled, smile restored. 

The Hayden Planetarium snaps put grins on both their faces. 

"Lucky the guys didn't know all the mischief we got up to on our third date." Ian snorted. 

Quinn patted his hair reminiscently. "It's so dark in there, we could've even petted each other, and no one would be the wiser." 

Ian's dancing eyes told Quinn that he'd actually considered it, but decorum had won out. 

Ian said, "Now, every time I hear 'A New Hope', I think of that night." 

"Me too, lad." Quinn ruffled through Ian's hair with his fingers. 

Ian purred. "Glad you gave Lelia the wedding bell. She couldn't get enough of it when we took her for ice cream." 

"Remember how Monty started laughing when she brought it back to him?" Quinn couldn't resist a laugh himself at the memory of Monty's face. 

Ian turned to the rehearsal photographs. He pointed to a picture of them leaving Father Corgan's office, looking extremely well-kissed. "Man, look at us! Could we be any redder?" 

Quinn got a faint blush just from looking at it. "Don't worry, Ian. I'm sure everyone thinks it's the low light." 

"Yeah, right." Ian chortled. He gazed at the next shot -- Lelia playing with his hair. 

"She certainly had the right idea," Quinn said, continuing to play with the copper strands, just as his niece had that day. 

"Feels better when you do it, love." Ian all but melted under the caresses. 

"Glad to hear it, lad," Quinn said, voice low. 

Ian looked at their clasped hands at the rehearsal dinner and sighed. "Worth waiting for." He nuzzled against Quinn's ear. 

Quinn nuzzled back. "Can't believe how lucky we are." 

Ian purred his agreement. "And we're not the only ones." He pointed to the picture of Monty leaning on Kathy's shoulder. "Look at them. They seem like newlyweds too." 

Quinn nodded. "I love seeing them like that." He came to the snap of Bant putting the flower on Lelia's hair. "And look at Bant's smile." 

"Yeah, Lelia's calling her 'Auntie' now," Ian said softly. His eyes were drawn to the next series of photos particularly, the wedding ceremony. He ran his hand over the vinyl on top of his favorite shot --that timeless moment when they'd reached the altar together, and were lost in the blue of each other's eyes. "Oh, Quinn." He reached up for a kiss. 

Ian was all life and light in Quinn's arms once more. Quinn kissed him until his lips were rosy. He could never stop at just one. "Love that picture." 

Ian said, "Let's make a copy for the mantel. How about keeping it right across from Aunt Jane's photo?" 

Quinn kissed his nose. "Sounds perfect." 

"Don't know how Bant got us all to look good in the same frame. Usually, someone is blinking or blurry." Ian smiled up at Quinn. 

Quinn nodded. "Even Father Corgan has a grin on his face." 

Ian turned the page of the album, and gazed at the reception photographs. "Couldn't believe it when I saw that ceiling," said Ian. "Dad said so, too." 

Quinn said, "Felt like we had the party in your old bedroom." 

Ian chuckled. "It was just perfect." 

"And I just loved the toasts. I could feel how proud they were of us." Quinn's eyes were shining. 

Ian caressed his cheek. He knew how important a father's acceptance was to Quinn, not to mention his brother's. 

Quinn pointed to the hors d'oeuvres on their plates. "Got to be the first time we let them come to us." 

"We had more important things to think about, didn't we?" Ian pressed a kiss onto Quinn's chin. 

"Sure did, lad," said Quinn, angling his chin for another of Ian's luscious kisses. 

Ian's eyes sparkled. "My favorite was our first dance. My feet were ten inches off the floor." 

"So were mine." Quinn would never forget the feel of Ian in his arms that afternoon, tux crisp under his fingers, Ian a sensual feast for his delight. 

They looked across at the mantel, drinking in their favorite picture of all -- their newlywed embrace at the table, their happiness singing from the frame. Aunt Jane had captured that perfect moment for them, and it resonated across their first year together as mates. 

One year of marriage. The happiest of their lives. 


End file.
